Why I Oughta...

I think I've disclosed here on the blog about how my favorite Instagram handle is @ronicups .  As in Pepperoni Cups.  They curate and post photos of pizza that features cup-and-char pepperoni.  Or "Grease Chalices" as Adam Kuban calls them.  I've written about Kuban before here on the blog . He coined the term back in 2005 .  But Cup and Char Pepperoni has only become quite vogue in the past few years and I just covered the concept here on the blog back in November when I bought some online . Where I think I would point to as the 'touchstone' #ronicup pizza is the square from a place called Prince Street Pizza as it became "pizza famous" because of the photos of what they call the "Spicy Spring" that were showing up on Instagram.  Just look at the @ronicups handle and you'll see many pics of the square. So, imagine my delight when I found an hour in the late afternoon on a recent trip to the Edelman office in SoHo where I cou

I think the "J" stands for Japan or Joy.  Or both.    That's what one side of the can reads:  Japan & Joy Cola. I had this in Nagoya one day on my trip.  No Coke Lite that's for sure.  Nice can, though.   If my Dad was still in the business of collecting bottles and cans, I might think about bringing one of these home for him.  Alas, he isn't.  So, I didn't.

View from my room at the Marriott Nagoya .  Not quite a sky bar.  But a nice view.  Saw more from here on this trip than I saw from the ground level. 

Imagine my delight when I walk into the train station in Nagoya to be greeted with this Garrett's (as I call it) popcorn shop.  They sell the Chicago Mix as you'd expect.  And the place was very popular.  I didn't stop in, but I hear that the Matcha flavored corn is a big hit - which wouldn't surprise me based on all the various, weird popcorns I came across at Tokyo Disneyland/DisneySea .  There are these big multi-national organizations that one expects to see in international cities.  Think things like McDonalds and KFC.  And heck...even Disney.  But, I kind of considered Garrett's (I know...that's wrong, there is no 's in the name), a Chicago thing.  How wrong am I.  V ery wrong . 

I spent some time last month back in Japan, this time in Nagoya.  This was my second time in Nagoya - the first was a few years ago when I visited for the Cherry Blossoms . Sure, there are plenty of things to see around town, but let's start with the Marriott Associa Hotel.  I stayed on an upper floor and had a room with a twin bed.  But the carpet in the hallway right by the elevators?  Beautiful, isn't it? Reminds me of Spaceship Earth.   Am I nuts?  Or just Disney Drunk? Or maybe the pyramid that the holistic healer placed over George's head?

I recently came across this line that can be traced back to a Chinese Proverb about when the best time for all of us to consider planting a tree and it really resonated with me.  It was shared in this (below) Instagram post from Gardeners Supply : View this post on Instagram The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. (Chinese Proverb) Proper planting is critical to ensure the tree survives and thrives. ⁣ Here are some planting tips (find more on our website's article "How to Plant a Tree or Shrub"):⁣ .⁣ Planting too deep is the top reason that trees and shrubs die.⁣ .⁣ Apply bark mulch or pine straw to a depth of 2–3" over the entire planting hole. Mulching helps conserve water and prevent weeds. Taper the mulch toward the base of the tree, but do not allow it to touch the tree trunk.⁣ .⁣ Proper moisture is critical to the survival of your young tree or shrub. The roots should

Back in the Fall of 2017 (our first fall), I planted 30 tulip bulbs along the fenceline in our backyard in between the section where our espalier system is set up and where we are growing a series of hydrangeas.  They popped up for the first time in March of 2018 and I documented that here .  And by Mid-May they had bloomed in a beautiful combination of orange and yellow .  I mentioned last year that I thought it was going to be best to relocate these bulbs, but guess what?  I never got around to moving them.  This post claims that the *best* time to transplant tulip bulbs is the late Fall - about the same time that I put these in the ground.  From the post : The best time to transplant tulips is in the late fall, according to Ron Smith, Horticulturist at the North Dakota State University Extension Service. In the fall, bulbs have completed their growing cycle and lie dormant. Moving dormant tulips doesn't interrupt the growing cycle and makes the bulbs less susceptible to